Substrate Processing Method and Substrate Processing Apparatus

Abstract

A substrate processing method for removing an oxide film formed on the surface of a substrate includes modifying the oxide film into a reaction product by supplying a halogen element-containing gas and an alkaline gas onto the substrate accommodated in the interior of a processing chamber, and sublimating the reaction product by stopping the supply of the halogen element-containing gas into the processing chamber for removal from the substrate, wherein an internal pressure of the processing chamber in the sublimating is set to be higher than an internal pressure of the processing chamber in the modifying by supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber.

1 - 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a processing chamber configured to accommodate a substrate;   a gas supply unit configured to selectively supply a halogen element-containing gas, an alkaline gas, or an inert gas into the processing chamber; and   a temperature controller configured to adjust a temperature of the substrate accommodated in the processing chamber,   wherein the gas supply unit is configured to perform modifying an oxide film formed on the substrate accommodated in the processing chamber into a reaction product by supplying the halogen element-containing gas and the alkaline gas into the processing chamber, and perform sublimating the reaction product for removal from the substrate by stopping the supply of the halogen element-containing gas into the processing chamber,   wherein the gas supply unit is configured to supply an inert gas into the processing chamber to set an internal pressure of the processing chamber in the sublimating to be higher than an internal pressure of the processing chamber in the modifying, and   wherein the temperature controller is configured to maintain the temperature of the substrate at a predetermined temperature in the modifying, and maintain the temperature of the substrate at the predetermined temperature in the sublimating.   
     
     
         14 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the gas supply unit is configured to set a supply amount of the inert gas into the processing chamber in the sublimating to be more than a supply amount of the inert gas into the processing chamber in the modifying. 
     
     
         15 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the gas supply unit is configured to set the supply amount of the inert gas into the processing chamber in the sublimating to be at least three times the supply amount of the inert gas into the processing chamber in the modifying. 
     
     
         16 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the gas supply unit is configured to repeatedly perform the sublimating and the modifying plural times. 
     
     
         17 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising a gas heating unit configured to heat the inert gas,
 wherein the gas heating unit is configured to maintain a temperature of the inert gas supplied into the processing chamber in the sublimating to be 80 degrees C. or more.   
     
     
         18 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the gas heating unit is configured to maintain the temperature of the inert gas supplied into the processing chamber in the sublimating to be 120 degrees C. or more. 
     
     
         19 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the gas supply unit is configured to set a difference between the internal pressure of the processing chamber in the sublimating and the internal pressure of the processing chamber in the modifying to be less than 4 Torr. 
     
     
         20 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising a gas storage unit configured to pre-store the inert gas,
 wherein the gas storage unit is configured to supply the pre-stored inert gas into the processing chamber in the sublimating.